Become a River Advocate & Whitewater Guide

BASIC WHITE WATER TRAINING

May 22-24, 29-31, & June 5-7 in Coloma-Lotus, Ca9-Day Course for FOR Members $475

Want to join the fight to help preserve and restore
California’s rivers? Want to help in a fun and exciting way? A great way is to
become a river guide for FOR’s River Volunteer Outreach Program. As a guide you
will have the opportunity to learn first-hand about California's wild rivers,
to get involved with the efforts to protect these wonderful waterways and to
share your passion and knowledge with the public!

The Volunteer Outreach Program is supported by 200+ river
activists and whitewater guides who are dedicated volunteers for Friends of the
River. The Volunteer Outreach Program strives to enhance public awareness about
rivers and water resources, to make river running accessible and enjoyable, and
to raise money to support Friends of the River's statewide river conservation
and water policy reform efforts.

Volunteer Outreach Program River Advocate & Whitewater Guide Training

The Friends of the River Volunteer Outreach Program sponsors
guide training at the basic and advanced levels. Basic training teaches you how
to be a competent and safe Class III Whitewater Paddle Guide while teaching you
to be an effective advocate and activist as well. Classes are conducted both on
river and off. On shore classes include seminars on conservation issues, river
hydraulics, safety and rescue information, trip organization, and much more.
Our training program is performed at cost in order to be as affordable as
possible. In return, the Volunteer
Outreach Program asks that you make a volunteer commitment to help save the majestic
rivers of the California.

The fee for the guide training course for 2015 will be $475.
Commercial companies charge up to $900 just for the raft guide training. With FOR you will also get conservation-river
advocacy training and learn about swift water rescue! This program is operated
at a loss - your fees just cover our costs to run the whitewater training (i.e.
food, camping, and required river user fees).

If you are interested in applying, please download and
complete the application and email it to us as soon as possible - this class is
expected to fill rapidly.

We plan to accept 10-15 candidates for the 2015 session and
are only looking for conservation minded individuals who enjoy spending time
outdoors and educating the public (previous rafting experience is not a
requirement). We will notify applicants of our decision within three to four
weeks of the application deadline. You must be a Friends of the River member to
participate, so join today!

Logistics

Guide Training for 2015!

May 22-24, 29-31 & June 5-7 (9 days over three consecutive weekends)

The Northern California training is on the South Fork
American River (Lotus, CA; 45 minutes east of Sacramento, CA) and consists 9
days of the course of three weekends. Most guides need at least 9 days of
training to become proficient and there will be opportunities for extended
training to hone your skills.

Trainees are responsible for most of the daily routine that
is typical for running raft trips. During training you can expect to be busy
from early in the morning until late in the evening. Flexibility and a sense of
humor are crucial during training, e.g., if water flows are uncommonly low on
the South Fork, we may need to change our location or schedule.

You can help us as well by recruiting your friends!

$200 Deposit due with
application by May 1st

Acceptance
notification: May 8th

$275 Final payment due upon acceptance

Requirements

Good physical condition

Be a confident swimmer

Professional conduct when representing FOR on all occasions

CPR and First Aid Certification (must be acquired and be current before training begins)

Passion to save rivers and educate the public about these treasures

Fulfilment of volunteer service requierments

Questions about Advanced Guide Training?

Advanced Trainings are usually held in late June. The Volunteer Outreach Program hopes you choose to participate in our program and become a rafting guide and river activist. You will meet great people and have a terrific time. Our growing program provides many opportunities for our guides and their friends. If you have any further questions, please email us or contact the FOR office: (916) 442-3155 extension 211 and ask for Johnnie Carlson.